


Feel it When My Heart Beats

by sunlightdances (glowinghorizons)



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Awkward Flirting, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Shy!bucky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-09
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2020-02-29 00:34:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18767551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glowinghorizons/pseuds/sunlightdances
Summary: One instance of Bucky helping Peter with his history homework turns into a tiny bit of hero worship. Bucky acts put off, but really he relishes in his visits to Queens, because they mean getting a glimpse of you, Peter’s charming (and pretty) neighbor.





	Feel it When My Heart Beats

Let’s get one thing straight, right off the bat.

It’s not like Bucky doesn’t like Peter Parker. He does, really.

Doesn’t even mind taking him under his wing, sort of.

He only  _acts_  put off when Steve basically assigns Peter to Bucky’s charge, insisting that it would be good for Bucky to get to know the kid, and good for the kid to have someone to look up to.

(Bucky still isn’t sure that he’s the best person for  _anyone_ to look up to, but that’s a conversation for another day)

So, yes. It’s not like Bucky doesn’t  _like_  Peter Parker.

It’s just– he never planned for  _you_. Peter’s down-the-hall neighbor, the one who is entirely too smart for your own good and subsequently  _very_  suspicious of all the comings-and-goings into a fifteen-year-old’s apartment in the early hours of the morning.

You’re also very pretty.

You make Bucky nervous. He stutters over his words, he blushes something fierce… you knock him off center, and you’ve only ever had a small handful of conversations.

Bucky ran into you on the elevator tonight, in fact, and could barely think of anything to say. He’s pretty sure you recognized him. He’s trying his best to come during non-busy hours, after most people come home from work, before they go out for the evening, in hopes that Peter will be able to keep his anonymity for a while longer. He’s just a kid, after all.

Bucky rolls his eyes at himself when he finally knocks on Peter’s door, his ears tuned to where you’re unlocking your own door a few feet away.

The door in front of him opens. Bucky pushes past him into the small apartment.

“Thank god you’re here,” Peter says, dramatic as ever. “I’m going to fail AP History.”

Bucky rolls his eyes. “No, you’re not.” He sits down on the couch, arm thrown across the back as he glances at all the papers and books spread out on the coffee table. Bucky reaches into his pocket and tosses a comms device on the table. “Put this on for a second.”

“What?”

“Comms. Put it on.”

Peter looks fairly betrayed, pointing accusingly, “You can’t do this to me  _again_. I gotta study, if I don’t pass I’m–”

“Captain’s orders,” Bucky says seriously, trying not to laugh as Peter straightens up.

“Cap? Captain America?”

“Do you know another one?” Bucky sighs. “Look. What’s the problem? We’ve been studying for weeks. You know this backwards and forwards. Honestly, you should trust your books more than me anyway,” he points at his head. “Memories aren’t what they used to be.”

“I can’t keep all the names straight. The German ones.”

“Just write down that they were all dicks and call it a day.” Bucky says, laughing when Peter glares. “Really, though. Comms. Cap’s got a mission for you.”

Peter does as he’s told, but grumbles something about ulterior motives under his breath. Bucky presses his finger to his left ear. “We’re here,”

“Peter, it’s Steve.”

Peter almost  _gulps_. “Hi– hi, Steve. Cap. Captain America–”

“What have you got for us?” Bucky interrupts, watching as Peter shakes his head at himself. “Kid really does need to study, at least for a bit.”

“It’s recon. That’s all. No involvement,” Steve says, “Plus I wanted to make sure you’re not filling the kid with lies about me.”

Bucky snorts. “All he has to do is go to a museum and he can see you in all your star-spangled glory, pal.”

“Do I need my suit?” Peter asks.

Bucky shrugs. “Couldn’t hurt. You can climb up higher than I can with that, anyway.”

“Buck…” Steve trails off, exasperated.

“Right, right. Recon. We got it. And back in time for dinner.”

Peter rolls his eyes again.

.

.

.

It’s part of Peter’s training, to do small recon missions, small skill stuff, and get used to the comms devices plus working with other members of the team. Tony and Steve’s idea, per Fury’s request.

Bucky doesn’t mind the training. It gives him something to focus on, a goal to achieve. Plus, he  _hopes_  the people who he trains end up with a better mental image of him as Bucky Barnes afterwards than they ever did of the Winter Soldier.

Now, perched on a rooftop, Peter on the opposite side of the street, he’s beginning to regret this particular assignment.

Peter’s whispering the names of German generals to himself.

“Parker,” Bucky barks, “You gotta press the button again if you don’t want everyone to hear what you’re saying.”

“Sorry,” Peter mumbles. “I guess I should learn this stuff so when I fail AP History I have something to fall back on, huh?”

“Focus, guys.” Steve chides. Bucky can hear the laughter in his voice.

“There,” Peter says suddenly, “Two guys in the alley. They’re making a deal, but I can’t see what either of them have.”

“Our intel says they’re planning something bigger, so this might just be the initial meetup.”

Bucky looks through his scope. “Average build, caucasian, one’s got a tattoo on his left arm.”

“Parker, can you zoom in, see if you can see anything that might give us an idea of when this is going to go down?”

Watching, Bucky gets the feeling on the back of his neck that tells him there’s eyes on him. He’s laying as low as he can get, the sun is going down… he whirls around just in time for the door to the roof to slam shut.

“Shit.” He curses.

“Buck?” His comms crackle to life.

“Nothing,” he says to Steve, staring at you, watching him with narrowed eyes, your hair fluttering slightly in the breeze. “All good.” He presses the button to switch off the mic on his comms.

“I knew it.” You say, no preamble.

You take a few tentative steps forward.

“You’re an Avenger.”

He smirks. “The arm give it away?”

A small laugh. “Never noticed it until now, to be honest. Where’s Peter?”

“Peter?”

You sigh. “You were literally just in his apartment.”

“Um–”

“Sergeant Barnes! I’m supposed to tell you to–  _oh_.” Peter actually  _swings_  on to the rooftop. “Oops.”

“Yeah, oops.” Bucky says, watching your face closely for your reaction. You actually look surprised.

“He’s Spiderman? You’re Spiderman?!”

Bucky groans, “Really? I was so easy to figure out but you couldn’t tell that this kid who is always sneaking out of his apartment is Spiderman?”

“I thought he’d be older,” you say, shrugging.

“Man…” Peter mutters. “So… what do we do now?”

A half hour later, and the three of you are in Peter’s apartment, an uncomfortable silence settling over you. Peter’s thumbing through notecards for his exam idly, and you’re tapping your fingers against your jean-clad legs.

“Does it really matter that I know? I mean– you’re all famous anyway.” You say suddenly, laughing lightly. It reminds Bucky of a windchime in the breeze, and–  _shit_. He really shouldn’t be thinking like that.

Peter looks at Bucky, who sighs.

“I guess not? I don’t know. You’re the one who wanted to keep it a secret,” Bucky says, gesturing towards Peter.

“I want to be a  _teenager_ , okay. For a little while longer. If everyone knows who I am, that’s it.”

Bucky knows what he means. He can’t go anywhere without someone asking for a picture, or shying away from him entirely because they’re wary of him. He doesn’t know which is worse. He doesn’t mind it, really. But the kid’s right. Privacy goes out the window once you’re officially an Avenger.

“You don’t need to, like, wipe my memory or something?” You wonder aloud, and Bucky snorts.

“This isn’t the Men in Black.”

“Well.” You stand up. “Your secret is safe with me, Peter Parker.” A glance towards Bucky. “Sergeant Barnes,” you say, letting yourself out the front door.

“She’s something else, isn’t she?” Bucky asks, and flinches when Peter throws a pillow at him, catching him on the jaw.

“Gross! She’s my  _neighbor_.”

“Concentrate on the cards, kids, or I’m going to find that MJ girl, and–”

“Okay,  _okay_.”

.

.

.

It’s weeks before Bucky sees you again. He’s picking up Peter for a training session back at the compound, and is pretty much loitering in the lobby when you come in, looking flustered.

“Oh, hi.” You say, your gaze landing on him and rooting him to the spot. He never noticed what a unique color your eyes were before.

“Everything okay?” Bucky asks.

“At ease, Sarge,” you say, and Bucky wants to kiss that smirk right off your mouth. “Just went for a run.”

Bucky smiles, looking down at his feet. “Didn’t decide to become a vigilante after realizing your neighbor’s secret identity?”

You grin. “Thought I’d leave that to the professionals.”

From somewhere deep inside him, Bucky gathers his courage. “Do you– I mean, would you want to–”

“Sorry!” Peter barrels down the stairs, “Sorry, I’m late, I– Oh.” He stops when he sees you, and looks suspiciously between you and Bucky.

“You’ve got amazing timing, Parker.” Bucky mutters, sneaking a glance at you. You’re looking at him, a pretty blush on your cheeks, and a smile on your lips.

“What were you saying?” Peter asks.

“Nothing. We’re late…” Bucky says, trailing off. Leaving right now is the last thing he wants to do, but the moment is lost.

“Next time.” You say, quietly, only for Bucky to hear. “Ask me again next time.”

Bucky feels the Earth come to a standstill underneath his feet. A slow grin grows on his face, and it takes everything in him to say goodbye to you and leave with Peter.

“Can’t wait to tell Cap we’re late because you were  _flirting_ ,” Peter says as he climbs into the passenger side of Bucky’s car.

“Watch it, punk.”

Peter really does remind Bucky of Steve sometimes.

When they get to the compound, Peter heads down to the lab to hang with Tony while he makes some modifications to his suit, before he’ll head back to the training area to spar with Bucky, Steve, and Sam.

Bucky heads to the training area to meet with them, finding them already halfway through a simulation. He watches from the sidelines until they finish and steels himself when he sees Sam nudge Steve and the two of them share a laugh.

“Don’t start,” he warns as they get close enough to hear him.

“You brought Parker today, right?” Sam asks, “Finally make a move on the neighbor?”

“You’re literally the worst.”

“Leave him alone,” Steve says, but he’s clearly trying not to laugh.

“If you  _must_  know–” Bucky starts, ready to just spill the beans, because it’ll be easier than the shit he’ll get for it if they find out on their own, but Peter runs in, reinforcing what Bucky already knows - he really has the  _worst timing_.

“Sergeant Barnes!” He skids to a stop, phone in his hand, “Oh, sorry. Cap, Mr. Wilson–”

“Steve.”

“Sam.”

“Right. Sorry, I just– I got an email, I passed my exam!” He says, his excitement contagious.

“Right on, kid.” Sam says, high fiving the younger man.

“Told you so,” Bucky says, grinning. “Great job.”

“Good work, Parker.” Steve says, and Peter practically lights up at the praise.

“You can totally ask my neighbor out now,” Peter says, off-hand, despite Bucky’s sharp look, “Now that you don’t have to come over to study all the time.”

Steve and Sam have the most unbearable, shit-eating grins on their faces as they look back at Bucky, eyebrows raised, smug. Bucky feels the plates in his arm whir as he struggles to maintain his composure. He can feel his face burning, but suddenly doesn’t understand what the hell he’s so embarrassed about.

He  _does_  want to ask you out. He wants to know more about you than just your name and where you live. He wants to know what makes you happy, what makes you tick, and what makes you laugh.  _He_ wants to make you laugh.

“You know, I was halfway there this morning before you interrupted,” he tells Peter, who looks properly chastised until Bucky elbows him. “Go suit up.”

Peter waves goodbye to the others sheepishly, and heads off.

“You  _dog_ ,” Sam says, ducking out of the way of Bucky’s punch.

“Good for you, Buck.” Steve says, clapping him on the shoulder. “By the way, Parker’s been improving.” He was already strong and agile on his own, but he needed some discipline. God knows he had the heart, too. “I think I might partner the two of you for a small mission if Tony signs off on it. Just to see how he does.”

“He gets in enough trouble on his own,” Bucky grumbles, “Just wait for him to get into something and you won’t need a mission as an excuse.”

Steve rolls his eyes. “You know what? Take the afternoon off. I’ll handle it for now. Maybe you should go back to Queens… bump into a pretty girl…”

“God. Shut up.”

Steve and Sam leave him alone, but Bucky finds himself unable to get you off his mind the entire day.

Suddenly, finding an excuse to get back to Queens is at the top of his priorities.

.

.

.

Bucky does not get back to Queens out of his own free will.

He’s undercover, technically. He and the rest of the Avengers, spread out across the street at several different cafes, watching and ready for an illegal arms deal to go down.

Of course, this is when you spot him.

You’ve been shopping, and you sit down at the table next to him without so much as a hello, and Bucky’s eyes widen, like he can’t even believe what he’s seeing.

 _Timing_.

“Uh, Bucky…?” Steve’s voice is in his ear.

“I know,” he says through grit teeth, keeping his voice soft and level.

You glance at him out of the corner of your eye, eyes narrowed. “Bad time?”

He smiles, but it’s exasperated. “I’m beginning to think this is never going to happen the way I want it to.”

“Bucky, get her out of here.” Steve’s voice sounds again, tense.

“Not a great time for flirting, Tin Man.” Sam.

He smiles tightly at you, “Please, shut up.” Then, quickly, “Not you. Look, this is– not a great time. In fact, you didn’t hear it from me, but I think you should get at least ten city blocks away from here.”

Your eyes widen a little, but to your credit, you don’t run away, you don’t shy away. “Big operation going down?” Your voice is quiet, conspiratorial.

“Just trying to catch some idiots. With some idiots.”

“That’s rude,” Wanda’s voice says in his ear.

Bucky curses every god he can think of and a few he’s pretty sure he made up, because he wants nothing more than to sit here with you and talk for hours. He wants to hold your hand and he wants to learn about you… he’s beginning to think he’s cursed.

“I’m gonna go,” you say, and he flinches, his hand reaching for yours before he can stop it. When his fingers close around yours, it’s like a zap of electricity runs up his entire arm.

Your eyes meet his, liquid and warm, and he feels like he’s drowning.

“Tomorrow. Lunch time. Meet me here?” You ask, and he’s nodding before you can even finish your sentence.

“You got it.”

Your smile is etched into his memory for the rest of the day, even as he’s throwing punches and getting the absolute crap punched out of him back.

.

.

.

It’s lunch time and he’s late.

You look around nervously, your feet tapping a rhythm. You look at your watch, wondering if maybe this just wasn’t meant to be.

Quick footsteps draw your attention, and you turn to see him practically jogging down the block, his imposing figure  _unbearably_ attractive in a leather jacket, white t-shirt, and jeans that fit him just right.

His eyes light up when they land on you, and you  _melt_.

“Sorry, the train was late, and–”

“It’s okay. You’re here.”

“Finally,” he agrees, and you’re relieved to see he’s as happy as you are to finally be doing this.

When you first saw him coming and going from Peter Parker’s apartment, you were suspicious. You figured maybe May was seeing someone, but there was a familiarity about him, and you couldn’t place it.

One night when he was leaving, you were taking out the trash, and when he offered to take it down for you, you saw a glimpse of silver between his sleeve and the glove on his left hand.

You felt like an idiot for not recognizing him sooner. It all started to fall into place after that, and between the lingering glances and awkward flirting in the elevator, getting time alone with an actual Avenger proved to be difficult.

“Can I say something to you before we get interrupted again?” He asks, still sort of out of breath as he sits down, closer to you than you expect him to be.

You nod, nerves settling in.

“I think you’re beautiful. And funny, and smart, and I don’t even–” He shakes his head, “I don’t even really know you, aside from your name. But I  _want_  to. I want to know you.” He sighs. “My job… it makes it hard. But I don’t want you to get the wrong impression. I like you and I want you to like me too.”

It all comes out in a rush, and he looks almost sick as he finishes. Something in you softens seeing how nervous he is.

“I like you too,” you say quietly. Throwing caution to the wind, you grab his hand. Belatedly, you realize it’s the left one, but you don’t care. “I like you too and I want to know you too.”

He lets out a breath, leaning back in his chair. “Yeah?”

You smile. “Yeah.”

You have lunch together, but the food gets cold as you spend more time talking than eating. After, he walks you to your door. He’s shy and a little flustered, but also so, so charming.

You have a brief, wild thought that it would be so easy to fall in love with this man. You feel it, deep inside, deep in your bones, and with every beat of your heart. You know it’s crazy, you know you need to remind yourself not to go too fast or get too ahead of yourself, but you firmly believe that you met Bucky Barnes for a reason.


End file.
